It was an important text from my son who lives in upstate New York. It read “Thinking of you. (Actually he wrote ‘u’, but I can’t bring myself to do that.) About to have Spaghettios ® for dinner. Very excited.”
My first impulse was to call him and ask if he would put the pot of Spaghettios® up to the phone, so I might smell the unmistakable aroma of childhood. Not only his but my own. In fact, that’s what I did.
He laughed, and then we reminisced about other comfort foods that were part of our life together: Kraft® macaroni and cheese, Bisquick, Cocoa Puffs®, and Campbell’s® tomato soup. There was also a spaghetti and ground beef concoction that my ex-husband used to make, but instead of using a red sauce he simply poured the beef – grease and all — over the cooked pasta and sprinkled salt on it with the same abandon that one might sprinkle shredded cheese.
Every one of these “dishes” was a winner at the time, but I must confess they’d all disappeared from my culinary repertoire until my son’s text. Somehow they’d become too fraught with calories or carbs.
Still, there’s enough winter left that I might get the urge to buy some Spaghettios® the next time I go to the supermarket.
Just for old time’s sake.
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